Runaway Meadow
by DancingSpark
Summary: The stress of leadership and of facing Nibelheim's ashes forces Cloud to disappear from AVALANCHE for a few hours one morning. Having similar feelings about revisiting their hometown and hoping to comfort him, Tifa goes looking for Cloud. Takes place during the game between the visits to Gongaga and Cosmo Canyon. Oneshot.


_Runaway Meadow_

The leaves overhead rustled quietly. The sunlight that managed to pierce through the canopy dappled the leaf covered ground. Boots crunching on the leaves echoed through the forest. Tifa made her way through the brush, skirting the different brambles and vines that blocked her path. Glancing behind her, she guessed that the camp was at least a mile away by now.

The group had stopped for the night in the forest north of Gongaga. Visiting the village that had been scarred by the explosion of one of ShinRa's mako reactors had been a sobering experience for everyone. It added to the heavy memories of Corel they had faced not long before. Barret had been rather quiet after their visit to Corel.

Yuffie had also been very quiet lately. The newest member of the group as well as the youngest, she had been upset at the sight but only mentioned it to the other two girls in the group. Anything ShinRa related infuriated the small Wutai girl. Aeris was still kind, comforting both Yuffie and Barret. But it seemed everyone was going to face some part of their past. AVALANCHE would soon be passing through Cosmo Canyon, Red XIII's home. He wasn't upset about the prospect of returning home, but it was different for Cloud and Tifa.

The next town after Cosmo Canyon wasn't even a town. It was the remains of Nibelheim.

Tifa didn't want to see the charred remnants of her home. She dreaded setting foot in the village. She feared her memories would be tainted. Cloud on the other hand had shown no response to their homecoming. The leader had continued on with his usual seriousness and focused intent on tracking down Sephiroth.

Despite that, he had been slightly quieter lately. The others had missed it, except Tifa and Aeris. Aeris had done her usual comforting, but Tifa felt that even though Cloud appreciated her actions, he could not fully accept the gesture. Aeris had not been there when the small mountain town had disappeared in a flash of fire and smoke and screams.

Tifa jumped on a log that spanned a brightly gurgling creek, careful not to slip on the mossy trunk. As she hopped down, her thoughts returned to Cloud. With the group in such lower spirits than normal adding to the stress of being the leader, she could understand why he had disappeared for a little while. Cloud had been such a sensitive child when they were children. Even if he now had the tough persona of a SOLDIER and the child often seemed dead and gone, he was still the same Cloud somewhere deep down. That boy who would occasionally grace her with smiles from a distance had always run away from heavy emotions, but to where she had no idea. As she searched the forest, she hoped she would find the answer.

Tifa noticed the forest around her thinning out somewhat and the light filtering down became stronger. Suddenly she stepped into an open clearing. The sight took her breath away.

A large meadow with tall waving grass stretched out before her. Wildflowers were speckled here and there in the grass, small blots of color against the green and gold grasses. Birds were chirping and singing from far corners of the forest. Off to the left, a cluster of boulders were shaded by some nearby trees.

Tifa made her way over to the boulders. Sitting here for a little while would a wonderful way to take a break. As she reached boulders, she looked up to find a handhold to her pull herself up. Rather than find a handhold, she found Cloud.

The blond was sitting atop the boulder, propping himself up with one hand and resting his elbow on a bent knee. The breeze that blew through the grass and leaves also ruffled his hair. The sunlight filtered through the tree's branches overhead, leaving Cloud dotted with spots of light that shifted as the wind rustled through the leaves. He glanced down at her for a brief moment, looking out the corner of his eye instead of turning to face her.

"Tifa," he greeted before looking back out across the meadow. She took it as an invitation and clambered onto the boulder neighboring his as he continued to gaze straight ahead into the distance.

"This is a lovely meadow," she started. "Do you mind if I keep you company?"

Cloud didn't reply.

"Cloud?" Tifa leaned forward to peer at him.

"Shh," he finally answered.

"What?" Tifa lowered her voice, apprehension of a monster attack making her worry. Was something out there?

"Be quiet for a moment and take it in," he said calmly.

She looked at him and his blue gaze met her eyes. They weren't cold like they were when he was irritated. Instead they were clear and honest. She nodded to him and settled into a comfortable position on the boulder.

They sat silently for over thirty minutes. Cloud never moved. He would occasionally close his eyes and breathe deep before resuming his mysterious watch. Tifa, on the other hand, fidgeted as she became bored. Letting out a small sigh, she studied the meadow again in greater detail.

The wind had picked up small cottony seeds that floated along. They drifted around the meadow, twirling and sinking. As Tifa watched, the afternoon sun seemed to hit just the right spot in the sky. The slightly humid air of the meadow turned golden and the seeds lit up like small lights.

The breeze pushed some strands of hair away from Tifa's face and she suddenly felt a strange feeling in her gut. The light and the shade, the birds and the plants, the simple beauty of the day seemed to slowly build inside her until a wonderful peace filled her. Her worries of monsters, of going to Nibelheim, and of chasing Sephiroth died away, and for a few wonderful minutes, she felt as if her heart were floating.

The sun finally shifted out of its magical position and the meadow returned to its former appearance. Even though the peaceful feelings were starting to fade away, Tifa could almost still see the meadow as it was in those beautiful moments, like the afterimage left on an eye after a bright flash.

A rustling to her left caught her attention. Cloud had stood up and as she watched he jumped off the boulder.

"Time to go back, Tifa."

"Okay," she said softly as she carefully slid off her own boulder and landed with a soft thud in the grass. Cloud was already walking back in the direction of camp, but he stopped to wait for her at the tree line.

Once she reached him, Tifa looked him in the eye and smiled. "That was wonderful."

"Yeah…" he replied. He looked away for a moment and his gaze quickly flitted to hers and away again. "I had to just get away for a little while… everyone else's stress, Nibelheim, Sephiroth…" His voice faded away into a mumble. "…getting to be a bit too much…"

Tifa gave a small giggle. "You haven't changed."

Cloud stared with a cocked brow.

"I remember you doing this exact thing when we were kids," she elaborated. Understanding crossed his features.

"You noticed that, huh?"

Tifa nodded. "I can see why you would come to a place like this though." She looked down at the ground for a moment. "Thank you for sharing this place with me."

Tifa wouldn't meet Cloud's eyes, but for a moment she was sure she saw a hint of the boyish smile playing on lips that had not held it in years.

* * *

**A/N: I haven't had a chance to write or post anything in over a month. Writer's block and school have been seriously getting to me along with two weeks of completely unexpected angst.**

**This story just came to life because of my own stress. When I need to decompress I usually spend some time with my horses in their pasture. I did that and it lead me to looking up music from The Horse Whisperer and as a result I found the track that's the namesake of this oneshot: Runaway Meadow. I felt like it mirrored my feelings of calm with the horses perfectly, and as I was listening, I suddenly had the mental image of Cloud sitting on the boulder in the shade, eyes closed, relaxed, just enjoying nature. I liked it so much my writer's block just evaporated!**

**I hope you enjoyed! I always love reviews. They make me feel all warm and fuzzy and loved. :)**


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